Iran breaks agreement to stop shelling Kurds

Iran breaks agreement to stop shelling Kurds

Last month Iran broke an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to stop attacks on villages in the Pshdar district, according to a fresh report coming out of Iraq.

Last month, Iran broke an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to stop attacks on villages in the Pshdar district, according to a fresh report coming out of Iraq.

The Iranians shelled homes in Razga, killing an 18-month-old boy named Mohammed Ahmed and injuring three others. The Mayor of Qaladze said, “I was with the family until they buried the child.”

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an international NGO which works for justice and peace and intervenes in war zones, visited the family.

The attack injured Ali Hamed Ahmed, the father of young Mohammed, in his head, back and leg making him unable to walk. A mortar shell hit the roof of the family’s home while they slept at 9pm. Four rockets landed inside the village within the same hour.

All families are reported to have fled on foot to the neighbouring villages of Tutma, which is an hour and a half away, and Cuzina, which is three hours away.

Families returned to Razga when local media announced that it was safe. “Other families returned as well,” said Ali Hamed Ahmed. Iraqi Kurdish parliament member Zrar Khalel told CPT: “There was an agreement with the KRG and Iran broke it. It is up to the KRG to confront them.”

Christian Peacemaker Teams in the region learned in a United Nations security briefing that the KRG has asked Iran why it broke the agreement. Iran answered that it was targeting PJAK militants.

Ali Hamed Ahmed’s uncle drove to the scene of the attack in Razga to rescue the family and took them to a hospital in Qaladze, where records confirm their treatment. They are now staying at a relative’s house, as are so many of the displaced families in the Pshdar district.

It will be unsustainable for them to stay long, say observers. There are 50 families living in Razga.

“We are all separated and homeless,” says Ali Hamed Ahmed. “I sold my few animals at a low price.” Many displaced families sold their animals at the same time, he explains. “The price rose again. They will be too expensive to replace.”

The latest reports from Christian Peacemaker Teams in the Middle East and elsewhere are available from http://www.cpt.org/[8]